“In a year marked by voter apathy and political gridlock, it is time for the nonprofit sector to take a long look in the mirror,” writes Sonya Campion, a philanthropist who is a trustee of the Seattle-based Campion Foundation, in an opinion piece in Friday’s (11/21) Seattle Times. “My honest conclusion is that we need to do more.… We need community leaders to stand up and speak out on their missions. This fall, a group of us, led by BoardSource, the national center focusing on nonprofit governance, launched Stand for Your Mission, a campaign and guide to help transform board members into ambassadors and, yes, advocates in the larger public arena.… In Washington state alone, charities that work on housing and homelessness issues have 10,000 board members.… Imagine if we could leverage the connections and credibility of those 10,000 board members to help get this legislation passed. Board advocacy works. The board of the San Diego Youth Symphony, for example, led a successful campaign to get music education back into the area’s schools. Nonprofits are a powerful force when they work together and aren’t hesitant to stand up and be heard.”
Posted November 25, 2014
